SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
“NEW YEAR’S SMASH”
DECEMBER 27, 2023
ORLANDO, FLA. AT ADDITION FINANCIAL ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON TBS
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
[HOUR ONE]
-The Dynamite opening aired and then they cut to the stage as pyro blasted and the screens said “New Year’s Smash” and also advertised this Saturday night’s AEW Worlds End PPV. As Excalibur introduced the show, they showed clusters of fans wildly cheering (and one bored looking guy in the front row).
(1) JON MOXLEY vs. SWERVE STRICKLAND vs. JAY WHITE – Continental Classic Gold League Final
Moxley’s ring entrance took place to “Wild Thing.” The announcers commented on White targeting Moxley’s knee during and after the match last week. Excalibur said Mox was in rough shape when they went off the air last week. Jay White came out next. And finally Swerve. The bell rang five minutes into the hour.
All three eyed each other. White pointed at Swerve and Mox and indicated they should start against each other. When White tried to leave, Swerve slid to the floor and said no way. Mox then clotheslines White over the top rope to the floor. Swerve then snuck in and schoolboyed Mox for a two count. (What a great way to end the final that would have been if it was a three count! Fans would never take for granted a kickout early in a match ever again.)
Swerve side-stepped a charging Mox and sent him to the floor. They battled at ringside. White joined in the fight. Mox and Swerve dumped White over the barricade. Mox then dumped Swerve over the barricade. Mox then joined them and they fought into the crowd. The announcers talked about the flexibility being shown by the ref not counting them out. Taz said there has to be a winner.
Swerve bit Mox’s forehead after placing him on a chair behind the last row of floor seats. He then charged into the chair and knocked Mox over with his knees. All three brawled up the steps. Mox threw Swerve back into the ringside area and gave him two middle fingers. White clipped Mox’s knees from behind. White went on the attack on Mox as fans booed.
At 6:00 they returned to the ring. Mox caught a charging Swerve with a boot to the face. Mox then raked his back with his finger nails. Mox gave swerve a middle finger gesture again. Swerve bit his finger and then clotheslined Mox. Swerve then went on the attack on White including a boot off the ring apron to his face. Swerve backdropped Mox over the top rope onto White. Swerve then leaped off the top rope and landed on both Mox and White. They cut to a double-box break at 8:00. [c/db]
Back from the break, Swerve and White were battling on the ring apron. Taz noted there is no time limit because there has to be a winner. White was down for a while as Mox and Swerve battled at ringside. As Mox set up Swerve for a powerbomb on a table at ringside, Swerve returned with a chair and bashed Mox with it several times. Excalibur said there are obviously no DQs in this match or the ref would’ve disqualified Swerve for that. Back in the ring, Swerve surprised White with a leverage pin for a two count.
Swerve went on a flurry against White. He landed a powerslam and then a top rope 450. Mox broke up the cover with a stomp at 15:00. They cut to another double-box break. [c/db]
Everyone was slow to get up during the break. Mox surprised White with a stunner during the break, but wasn’t able to make a cover and just collapsed. Back from the break, Excalibur said they were witnessing a classic. They stood and faced off, exchanging punches with each other. White delivered a snap sleeper suplex on Swerve. Mox put White in a sleeper. Swerve returned to the ring and nailed Mox with a leaping sidekick. He went for a Blade Runner on Swerve, but Swerve avoided it. Mox nailed Swerve with a King Kong Lariat. Mox turned to White, who gave Mox a Blade Runner. Swerve broke up the cover.
As some fans chanted “Fight forever!” Swerve bashed Mox in the back with a chair three times. He jabbed Swerve in the gut with the chair next. White wedged the chair into the corner. Swerve reversed White into the chair. Mox then put Swerve in a sleeper. Swerve dropped down and scored a leverage two count with a yank on Mox’s pants.
Mox stood and exchanged rapid-fire slaps with Swerve. Swerve head-butted Mox and then delivered a pump kick to the face twice. He followed with a discus lariat. Swerve climbed to the top rope, but White knocked him down. Mox got up and landed a King Kong Lariat followed by a Death Rider for a three count.
WINNER: Moxley in 23:00 to advance to the Continental Classic Final at Worlds Ends.
(Keller’s Analysis: Tremendous match, pushing past the usual 20 minute time-limit.)
-A video package aired on Bryan Danielson and Eddie Kingston advancing on Collision last Saturday to get to the Gold League Final tonight. [c]
-Schiavone interviewed Swerve backstage, who was with Prince Nana. Swerve said his arm is falling off of his body because of those two men and he wanted that win so badly. He said he meant it when he said this tournament was breathing life back into the industry. He then pivoted to addressing Keith Lee saying that he is the “him” that Lee has been referring to. He said he’ll be at Worlds End. Schiavone said Lee already signed a contract for a proposed match that Swerve can sign. Nana was upset he didn’t have time to review it. Swerve said he’ll be interested in seeing if he shows up on Saturday.
(Keller’s Analysis: Swerve pivoting to Lee confirms that when Lee mentioned his name last week, it gave away that Swerve wasn’t winning the tournament. I suppose on the bright side it was a way to give fans who wanted Sweve to win a bit of a heads up it probably wasn’t happening.)
-Renee Paquette interviewed Mariah May on the ramp. May said she attacked Riho as a way of showing support for “the greatest star of our time, Toni Storm.” She said everyone has waited so patiently for her debut. She said 2023 didn’t have the energy, so her debut will be next Wednesday on Dynamite. Excalibur said it was a bombshell announcement, defining down the term “bombshell announcement” quite a bit. Riho charged out and confronted May. Storm ran out with her belt and swung at Riho. Riho ducked and then set up a 619 on Storm. Luther helped Storm avoid it, but then Riho leaped onto both Storm and Luther at ringside. Riho stood in the ring as her music played. They cut to Storm, Luther, and May on the ramp, in black and white, gasping at what Riho just pulled off.
-They went backstage to Top Flight and Action Andretti. They said they came up short against The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn last week, but they’re issuing an open challenge. Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta, and Rocky Romero walked in. Beretta said they are issuing an open challenge when they’re five feet away, so they see what they’re up to. Cassidy said they’d see them on Friday on Rampage. Andretti then crushed a full water bottle and guzzled it. He said, “Ahh, hydration.”
-They showed Christian Cage, Nick Wayne, and Nick’s mom Shayna Wayne sit down next to Lexy. Christian wasn’t thrilled to see Lexy instead of Renee and asked who Lexy was. Christian asked if Adam Copeland was going to show up. [c]
-A vignette aired with Miro speaking about his wife C.J. and Andrade. He challenged Andrade to a match at Worlds End.
(Keller’s Analysis: The sound mix by AEW in these vignettes continues to make it difficult to hear what’s being said because the music is too loud. Miro’s situation feels like a wrestler from another territory who sends in videos for his occasional in-person appearances for AEW like often happened in the 1970s and ’80s.)
-Schiavone stood mid-ring and introduced Don Callis and the Don Callis Family. Schiavone said it was Boxing Day yesterday in Canada and Callis wanted to celebrate. Callis took the mic from Schiavone mid-sentence. Callis said there’s been a lot of family stuff going on in recent weeks. He said it’s been a difficult two weeks for him. He revealed custom paintings for Kenosuke Takeshita, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Kyle Fletcher. Callis, in the paintings, was chiselled and center with each of his wrestlers.
Sammy Guevara walked out, his CK waistband showing as usual. (He should get a sponsor for that real estate and exposure.) Callis said it’s like Christmas all over again to see him. Guevara put his hand over the mic to cut him off. “Long time, no talk, Don,” he said. Fans chanted “Sammy!” Callis asked if he got the gift he sent for the kid. Sammy said no. Callis blamed the Canadian postal system. Callis pointed Guevara to the final painting. Guevara removed the black covering and it showed all of them surrounding Guevara who was holding his baby. Guevara was upset that he put his baby in the painting. “You f—ed up!” chanted the fans. Callis said Sammy will need all the help he can get as a parent. Sammy said Powerhouse beat Jericho and Takeshita beat Kenny Omega twice, but nobody remembers because Callis makes everything about him. Sammy said people he never expected to hear from have been asking how he was doing after he got concussed, but Callis wasn’t among them.
Callis said if Sammy is disappointed in him, he’s even more disappointed in Sammy. He said he dropped the ball when he got hurt and didn’t show up for five months because he was hurt, having babies, and on paternity leave. He said Sammy has a choice to make. He said he can choose “the other family or the Don Callis Family.” He said he knows Sammy is a hot-head, but he should think carefully before he answers. He said if he answers wrong, he’ll be remembered as just as big a failure of a wrestler as he is a dad. Sammy shoved Callis. Hobbs, Takeshita, and Fletcher attacked Sammy three-on-one.
Jericho charged out with a bat and cleared the ring of the heels. He also bashed the paintings. Sammy took the bat and smashed the painting of him. After a tense moment, Sammy and Jericho extended their hands, then moved in and hugged. Ricky Starks and Big Bill then attacked them. The lights went out. When they came back on, Sting and Darby Allin were in the ring. They went after Bill and Starks, who retreated.
-Renee interviewed Roderick Strong backstage. She said she was frankly nervous to ask what’s going on. Strong yelled, “Renee!” Matt Taven and Mike Bennett brought in a poster with a flow chart of Devil suspects. Strong said it all pointed to MJF.
[HOUR TWO]
-Excalibur plugged MJF & Samoa Joe vs. The Devil’s Henchmen. He then ran down the PPV line-up.
(2) BRYAN DANIELSON vs. EDDIE KINGSTON – Continental Classic Blue League Final
Danielson made his ring entrance first. Highlights aired of Danielson pinning Kingston four weeks ago on Collision and then dropping a fan sign on him that said “Eddie is a Bum.” Kingston then made his entrance. The bell rang four minutes into the hour. Excalibur talked about Kingston putting two of his belts up for grabs in this tournament. By 2:00 they were fighting at ringside. When they returned to the ring, Kingston took control. Danielson came back with a flying knee off the ring apron. They cut to a double-box break. [c/db]
Danielson controlled the action during the break. They fought back and forth for several minutes. Kingston climbed to the top rope. Danielson knocked him down and kicked him as he hung upside down. They crashed to the mat and both were slow to get up. They cut to another double-box break. [c/db]
They squared off mid-ring and had a bit of a reset after the break at 16:00. Kingston chopped away at Danielson’s chest. He eventually hit a lariat and a Northern Lights Bomb for a near fall at 18:00. Both were down and slow to get up. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” The announcers noted the red marks all over Danielson’s chest. Danielson hit a Busaiku Knee for a near fall. Danielson went to body stomps while holding Kingston’s arms.
Kingston made a comeback when he nailed a charging Danielson with a spinning backfist and then a half-and-half followed by another spinning backfist and finally a Kawada-style powerbomb into a high stack for the win. Taz said Saturday, Kingston will be the underdog against Moxley.
WINNER: Kingston in 22:00 to advance to the Continental Classic Final at Worlds End.
(Keller’s Analysis: An fierce and crowd-pleasing battle.)
-Mox came out and stared down Kingston. An “Eddie! Eddie!” chant rang out. They exchanged some words. Kingston told Mox to speak his mind. Mox said all he’s ever asked for is for him to give 100 percent. He said for a guy who’s angry at the whole world, he’s sure got a lot of people who love him. He said everybody in Orlando and across the country and the world love Kingston. He said they’ll love him at Worlds End on Long Island. He said he knows Kingston knows he can’t beat him, so for his money, he’s already lost and he’s already given up and he’s already making excuses. He said a couple years ago, he let him die a warrior’s death and then come back stronger, but this time he won’t get a single favor. He said if he wants to be the Triple Crown Champion like all of his heroes, he’ll have to earn every inch.
Kingston stared back, then grabbed the mic. “You’ve talked enough,” he said. He told him not to talk to him like his “young boy bitch, Yuta.” He said he broke into wrestling before him, so “you’re lucky I let you breathe.” He said he hates himself more than he hates anyone else. He said one time when he was going to quit AEW, Mox told him he can’t quit because they need people like him around to teach the younger guys. He said he’s going to show him his fighting spirit and bust him up. They continued talking off-mic. Mox nodded and smiled. Schiavone said both men are fearless.
-They went back to Lexy with Christian, Nick, and Shayna who were still waiting for Copeland. Christian said he had things to do. [c]
-Back from the break, Copeland attacked Nick and Christian. Security pulled them apart. Other wrestlers got involved in trying to separate them as they brawled in the back hall of the arena. Copeland yelled, “You’re mine!” He was pulled away as Christian yelled back and checked for blood and called him a coward.
(3) KRIS STATLANDER vs. SKYE BLUE
Stokely Hathaway joined the announcers on commentary. The bell rang 40 minutes into the hour. They cut to a double-box break three minutes in. [c/db]
At 8:00, Statlander chopped away at Skye in the corner. As they battled on the top rope, Statlander kicked Blue in the face. As the ref checked on her, Julia Hart showed up and went after Statlander. Blue then kicked Statlander from behind and landed a Code Blue from the top rope for the win.
WINNER: Blue in 9:00.
-After the match, Julia Hart joined Blue in attacking Statlander. Stokely asked Schiavone to do something about it. Willow Nightingale charged out for the save. The heel duo fled up the aisle, but then Abadon came out. Excalibur noted Abadon faces Julia on Saturday for the TBS Title.
-Renee interviewed Ruby Soho and Saraya. Renee asked Soho about facing Marina Shafir. Saraya interrupted and said she’s too excited to wait to tell her that Holly will do anything and is great with her hands. Then Soho left when she got a call from Angelo Parker. Saraya said she’d fill in Renee next week.
-Excalibur said they’d hear from Jericho on Rampage, plus Wheeler Yuta vs. Matt Sydal and Cassidy & Trent & Romero vs. Top Flight & Andretti. He also announced the PPV pre-show would feature Hook vs. Yuta plus a battle royal with the winner getting a TNT Title shot anytime, anywhere. He then ran down the PPV line-up. [c]
[OVERRUN]
-Ring introductions took place for the main event tag match – MJF & Samoa Joe vs. The Devil’s Henchmen. The Henchmen were in the ring. MJF came out without Joe. Then the big screen showed Joe clutching his knee and crying out in pain in an over-the-top way. Schiavone said it appeared he was attacked in the back by the Devil’s Henchmen. MJF put the belts up without Joe.
(4) MJF vs. THE DEVIL’S HENCHMAN – ROH Tag Team Title match
The bell rang two minutes past the top of the hour. MJF went on the attack early. His left shoulder was in an immobilizer. MJF backdropped one of them over the top rope. A third henchman hit MJF with a pipe and then ducked under the ring. He then delivered a Heat Seeker and covered MJF for the three count. Excalibur said they don’t even know who they are.
WINNERS: The Devil’s Henchmen in 2:00.
-Four of the masked henchmen began stomping away at MJF. Joe limped out with a chair in hand, so the Henchmen bailed out. Joe could barely stand as he went to check on MJF. The Devil in the mask briefly appeared on the big screen. “Pleasure doing business with you,” the words said. Joe then bashed MJF with a chair from behind. Excalibur asked if Joe has been working with the Devil this whole time. Schiavone believed that was the case. Joe beat on MJF in the corner and yelled, “I did this to you.” He then delivered a Muscle Buster. The graphic hyped their main event match on PPV on Saturday as Joe stood on MJF’s chest.
(Keller’s Analysis: I’m curious how AEW pays off the MJF-Devil storyline I’ll also be relieved when it’s over. It does seem like this story could have been wrapped up three or five weeks earlier if the PPV had come sooner, and a lot of what’s happened has been stretching it out. It seems Samoa Joe has been ruled out as the Devil, which is good, alhough it diminishes him that he was working with the Devil as he seems like more of a lone wolf style heel. He had said he wanted MJF at 100 percent going into his title match, thus he was protecting him from others for weeks, only to then attack him and weaken him days before the PPV. Why bother with the charade at all? What did he gain from the deception and teaming with MJF during this stretch when he could’ve just attacked him at any point without all of the head games?
As for the Devil, AEW doesn’t necessarily have to reveal it on Saturday night at the PPV. I’m thinking Brit Baker and Adam Cole are a team behind this, with Baker’s rationale being that MJF tried to get Cole to be unfaithful while on the road. It’s kinda hard not to see her point, though, if that’s the impetus for her turn. I could also see Wardlow joining Baker and Cole in a faction of anti-MJF heels, perhaps with others. I think Roderick Strong being associated with the Devil would be too comedic, as would Matt Taven and Mike Bennett.
It’s going to be interesting to see whether pro wrestling fans’ tendency to always cheer Joe no matter his actual designation works against MJF’s hometown reaction in Long Island that he’s used to. MJF has been all over the place as a character this year and it’s possible the Long Island pride will have waned a bit. I wouldn’t be against Joe being in the history books as an AEW World Champion at some point.)
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s AEW Dynamite Hit List: Swerve Strickland vs. Jon Moxley vs. Jay White, and Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston in Continental Classic semifinal matches
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